Iran Urges Joint Military Drill with Syria

In a meeting with Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas, held in Tehran on Monday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri lauded Syria for its resistance and supporting Palestine from the outset of occupation of the Palestinian territories by the Zionist regime.

The senior commander stressed the need for staging a joint military exercise between Iran and Syria.

Major General Baqeri also condemned the recurrent Israeli acts of aggression against the Arab country that has violated international law.

He noted that Iran has provided advisory support for the Syrian Army so far, expressing the Islamic Republic’s readiness to help the Syrian military forces in restructuring, training, and supplying equipment.

For his part, the Syrian defense minister highlighted the close interaction between Damascus and Tehran in the fight against terrorism and the common enemy.

Praising the Islamic Republic for backing his country during the crisis and for standing against the Israeli regime, Abbas said Syria will continue to fight against the Zionist regime and stand with the nations seeking independence.

In July 2020, Iran and Syria signed a comprehensive agreement to enhance their cooperation in the military and defense sectors.

Iran began providing Syria with advisory military assistance after numerous countries, at the head of them the US and its Western and regional allies started funding and arming militants and terrorists with the aim of deposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in 2011.

Despite initially losing considerable expanses of territory to Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) and other terror outfits, the country, however, rallied with the help of Iran and Russia, another ally of Damascus, and reversed the balance in favor of itself on the battleground.